Compare the2025 Honda CivicVS 2025 Mazda 3

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Mazda 3’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Civic and the Mazda 3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Civic is safer than the Mazda 3:

	Civic	Mazda 3
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	27 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Civic is safer than the Mazda 3:

	Civic	Mazda 3
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	268	371
Hip Force	516 lbs.	620 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are almost 2 times as many Honda dealers as there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Civic’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 51 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Mazda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 2 places higher in reliability than Mazda.

Engine

The Civic Hybrid’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 9 more horsepower (200 vs. 191) and 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (232 vs. 186) than the Mazda 3’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Civic Hybrid 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Mazda 3 4 cyl. (automatics tested):

	Civic	3
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	8.1 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93.1 MPH	87.7 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Sedan gets better mileage than the Mazda 3 Sedan:

			MPG
Civic Sedan
FWD	Auto	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	50 city/47 hwy
		LX 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	32 city/41 hwy
		Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/39 hwy
Mazda 3 Sedan
FWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/35 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/32 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Sedan gets better mileage than the Mazda 3 Hatchback:

			MPG
Civic Sedan
FWD	Auto	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	50 city/47 hwy
		LX 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	32 city/41 hwy
		Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/39 hwy
Mazda 3 Hatchback
FWD	Manual	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/35 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/33 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Hatchback gets better mileage than the Mazda 3 Sedan:

			MPG
Civic Hatchback
FWD	Auto	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	50 city/45 hwy
		2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
Mazda 3 Sedan
FWD	Manual	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/35 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/32 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Hatchback gets better mileage than the Mazda 3 Hatchback:

			MPG
Civic Hatchback
FWD	Auto	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	50 city/45 hwy
		2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
Mazda 3 Hatchback
FWD	Manual	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/35 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/33 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Civic Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Civic’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip (not available Hybrid). The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Civic uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Mazda 3 with the 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Civic has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

The Civic has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Civic stops shorter than the Mazda 3:

	Civic	Mazda 3
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	122 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Mazda 3 (215/55R16 vs. 205/60R16). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Mazda 3 (235/40R18 vs. 215/45R18).

The Civic LX Sedan’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Mazda 3 2.5 S Sedan’s standard 60 series tires. The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Mazda 3 Select Sport/Preferred/Carbon/Premium’s 45 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Honda Civic has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Mazda 3 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Civic has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Civic flat and controlled during cornering. The Mazda 3’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Civic has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Civic Sport Touring Hybrid Sedan handles at .84 G’s, while the Mazda 3 Carbon Edition Sedan AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Civic Sport Touring Hybrid Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Mazda 3 Carbon Edition Sedan AWD (27.1 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Chassis

The Honda Civic may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 200 pounds less than the Mazda 3.

The Civic Hybrid uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic a Mid-size car, while the Mazda 3 is rated a Compact.

The Civic has 6.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Mazda 3 Sedan (99 vs. 92.8).

The Civic Sedan has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear legroom and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mazda 3 Sedan.

Cargo Capacity

The Civic Sedan has a much larger trunk than the Mazda 3 Sedan (14.8 vs. 13.2 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

Consumer Reports rated the Civic’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Mazda 3’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

Recommendations

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 9 more times in the last 40 years. The Mazda 3 has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

The Honda Civic outsold the Mazda 3 by almost seven to one during 2023.